%0 Journal Article %A Natesan, Senthilkumar %A Kataria, J. M. %A Dhama, K. %A Bhardwaj, N. %A Sylvester, A. %T Anti-neoplastic effect of chicken anemia virus VP3 protein (apoptin) in Rous sarcoma virus-induced tumours in chicken %D 2006 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 87 %N 10 %P 2933-2940 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.82085-0 %I Microbiology Society, %X The anti-neoplastic effect of chicken anemia virus VP3 protein (apoptin) was investigated in vitro in Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-transformed chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells and in RSV-induced tumours of specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chicks in vivo. The apoptin gene was cloned in the pVAX expression vector and in vitro expression of the recombinant vector pVAX-CAV-VP3 was confirmed. Two groups of SPF chicks, each containing ten chicks, were used. Chicks in groups I and II were inoculated with RSV at 1 day old. Group I served as the control, receiving pVAX vector without insert, and group II received recombinant vector pVAX-CAV-VP3 containing the apoptin gene, on day 10. An in vitro study confirmed that apoptin induced apoptosis in RSV-transformed CEF cells, which was demonstrated by observation of the characteristic changes of apoptosis using the indirect immunofluorescence technique and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. In vivo study also indicated that apoptin induced apoptosis and caused tumour regression by an intratumoral-delivery method. Apoptotic changes, such as nuclear condensation, fragmentation of the chromatin and formation of apoptic bodies in the tumour cells, were demonstrated by histopathology and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. No apoptotic changes were seen in the tumours of the control group. The results of the present study showed that apoptin had an anti-neoplastic effect in vivo and in vitro in RSV-induced tumours. The anti-neoplastic effect is due to apoptin-induced apoptosis. Further improvements in the dose, delivery method and delivery frequency of the apoptin-expressing recombinant vector could help to develop apoptin as an anti-neoplastic drug. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.82085-0